I’ve become increasingly aware of how many people are permitting spam comments into their blogs. I do email people I find specifically with help but it would be good to include a general heads up as it’s on the increase!

So let’s start at the beginning; Mr Spammer runs a dodgy medication selling website. Mr Spammer is in a high competition industry so needs to be found in Google. He’s optimised his site but now needs some links back from other quality sites like yours to show Google that his is popular (which it’s not) and equally full of quality content (which it isn’t). Mr Spammer logs on to blog after blog commenting on as many articles he has time to and all he has to do is make sure he enters his web address into the ‘Your Website’ box. If the blog on your nice site is unprotected, (and sometimes even if it is), his comment will appear, more importantly his name will link through to his website, and Google takes that link as a ‘thumbs-up’ from you giving it a tiny bit more importance.

Here’s the worse bit; when Google realises that Mr Spammer is actually spamming, it may penalise the site in question, and worse penalise every site which links to it… including your own quality, innocent website. He’s made a few sales so happy to relaunch site number 24763 on a new url and you’re made to suffer.

So here’s what you should do:

1. Learn the difference between a genuine supportive comment and a spam one. If they have included a link, it should link to a genuine business website and the comment should add something to your reputation or article. If they link to medicines, abortion pills, weight loss pills etc. you can safely assume it’s spam. Anything in the middle is up to you.
2. Install some anti-spam solutions like the following:
1. WordPress Akismit is one good piece of software, I believe they charge for it now, but that’s evidence of their success. It will stop most spam comments getting in and allow genuine comments through.
2. Self-moderation is the next step, Built into WordPress and others are a number of filters, you can hold all comments for manual approval, or set those with links included for approval. The latter is best and saves you time. If they don’t contain a link, it’s almost certainly harmless. You just have to ensure you check regularly to approve good comments and delete spam.
3. Install a captcha, again free on Wordress and others, this is the box which asks you to type what you see in the picture. This won’t fool determined spammers but the majority of spammers are after quantity not quality so if they don’t get through easily, they won’t waste their time trying and will go elsewhere. If your site happened to be Microsoft, Apple, BBC etc. you would be in for a rough ride.
3. Set nofollow to all user links. This is usually an option in your blogging or site software which allows you to set user links to ‘nofollow’ which basically is a message to Google (and others) saying “Yes I’m showing this link, but I don’t want you to treat it as an endorsement, I’m just the messenger.”
4. Finally, go through your previous comments and delete any which you’ve decided are spam.

I’m still here! Just not had much time to post. 2010 is drawing to a close and I still haven’t done that thing that someone asked me to do…

I leave you with a little poem for the modern networker.

Ode to the networker

We all ‘network’ with someone we’ve never actually spoken to, give them a call soon and wish them a happy new year.

No amount of Jargon-free sales pitches will ever truly get across the benefits of working with Zako Media. But for a REALLY dumbed down version. I turn to my old friend XKCD who help keep me sane in times of computer trouble, car trouble, dog trouble… well general problems:

Blogging isn’t new, most people have their own blogs and can see the benefits, but some people don’t, and I want to play a part in changing that. A good business blog isn’t about inane subjects like where your last holiday was spent or your new kittens (unless you’re in the holiday or animal rescue business) and if you are an expert in your chosen field, it doesn’t have to be difficult to come up with new ideas and topics.

Top 10 reasons for having a blog:

1. SEO – The search engines LOVE blogs, more and more are appearing in the top results. Google in particular is now concentrating on newer content vs old and it’s time your static website started getting a piece of that action.
2. Credibility - By releasing well worded articles, you can prove your expertise to the general public, you will build up a reputation of being knowledgable and passionate about your chosen subject and not just following an ‘it pays the bills’ mentality about your business.
3. Free links – A good article is shared with others, the link gets emailed and posted on other’s blogs and comments, the back links help both click throughs and again aid the SEO.
4. Up-to-the-minute – Almost all industries are undergoing change on a daily basis, by writing articles about these changes and how they affect your target market, you can keep people informed, especially if you’re the first to blog about it.
5. Interaction – Blogs are usually linked by keywords, once a user has finished with one blog either by reading or irrelevancy, there is the option for them to see previous articles on the same subject, this gives more exposure, more chance of being seen and shared. Again the SEO benefits are amazing.
6. Openness – Depending on the type of business and impression you want to give as a business, adding personal blogs can be a benefit. In many businesses, the USP is the individual involved. By being open and sharing shows you have nothing to hide and helps visitors build a rapport with you.
7. I’m still here – The Internet is well over a decade old, it is full of closed business and obsolete sites. By updating a dated blog, you are showing Google and your visitors that you are still operating in full force.
8. Special offers and Updates – Blogs are a great way to update clients without hitting them with constant unread newsletters. It enables them to see smaller changes within the company, new product launches and allows you to post special offers.
9. Allows overpopulation – One of the first mistakes people tend to make with new websites is to write too much information. Some visitors want that information however and the blog is a brilliant repository. You can keep your main pages clean with good sales copy and write all the technical details and performance results in an article.
10. Feedback. – A static website is relatively flat, it can act as a barrier between the visitor and the business. A blog opens the comments channel allowing visitors to play a part in the growth of your online presence. They also tend to be written in a more relaxed way helping your visitor to feel more relaxed and less defensive to sales copy.

“But I’ll run out of things to write about”

Ask for ideas, look at similar industry blogs, read your industry’s news, blog about what you see, put it into plain English.
Accountants – Tax saving tips, How the budget effects small businesses (dumbed down version), what does the expenses row mean?, why are politicians choosing to wait until the next election to stand down?
Estate Agents – What’s happening to the property market? What should first time buyers be looking out for? What can sellers do to increase their chances?
Graphic Designers – A good designer produces work which is beautiful to look at, show it! What thought processes go behind a good design? Give us case studies, explain why a blue blob with the letter ‘Y’ just cost your client £600.
Unemployed people – I’ve been talking to a young lady who’s making a small fortune by being unemployed, she’s written a book about job hunting blogged and vlogged about it and is really pushing her online profile.

The lists are endless but you get the idea.

Don’t have a blog? have I convinced you to give it a try? How about this for numbers: I don’t put much time into my own site, I spend too much time with other people’s, but every so often I post a new blog. When I do, my site traffic spikes up 50-100% within a few days before settling down at an overall 2% increase. One blog per week will double my overall site traffic every 35 weeks, one blog per day will almost double the traffic every month!!! If I stop, a decrease will start, but for now it just grows steadily.

How do you get it? You can install WordPress (http://www NULL.wordpress NULL.org) straight on to your website with custom or matching themes, (or we could do it for you) or you can use one of the hundreds of free blogging websites. WordPress (http://www NULL.wordpress NULL.com) again is by far the best in my personal opinion and very easy to set up and use. (I’m not on commission with WordPress, it’s just really good, in fact this blog is using wordpress)

Is there a benefit to having it installed or using the free option?

The free option is excellent but does have some advertising on for WordPress and links to other people’s blogs on similar subjects. Quality here is key, make sure your blog is better than the other related articles and yours will shine through. WordPress also benefits from high seo rankings so there is a good change of being seen.

The self-hosted version loses the ads and has no competition. It helps build the seo rankings for your whole site and allows you to use your domain name, although the seo benefits may not be instant, they will be longer standing.

If you haven’t got one, get one now and happy posting.

Richard Branson’s Blog (http://entrepreneur NULL.virgin NULL.com/)
Stephen Fry’s Blog (http://www NULL.stephenfry NULL.com/blog/)
Ivan Misner’s Blog (http://networking NULL.entrepreneur NULL.com/)
Derren Brown’s Blog (http://derrenbrownart NULL.com/blog/)

Google is forever releasing new features, most of which aren’t really of interest to the general user however today, things change. Google have added new search options. The next time you search for something, click ‘Show Options’ in the blue bar. Now you have a number of filters you can use to refine your search. These filters do make life easier but they are also the start of something big.

Type filters include: Video, Forums and Reviews

Time Filters include: Recent results, Past 24 hours, Past week, Past Year

There are also related searches and a ‘Wonder Wheel’

The type filters are going to make life easier for searchers to find what they are looking for and will be useful but won’t require changes from website owners. If you do run a searchable forum however, I would recommend your results display correctly in date order. To do this, go onto google and type:

Site:http://www.yoursite.com/forumdirectory

Then use the options to sort by date. Talk to your web designer about your choices if they don’t display as you would expect. Some coding changes may be required.

The time filters are the most important. The more recently your content was updated or added to, the higher you will appear… it’s as simple as that! If you don’t edit your site content regularly, add news articles, blogs etc. you will appear right at the bottom. Every time you add new content, you jump back to the top of the queue. So it’s important that you can and do edit your website and regularly!

What can you do if you have just a few pages of information for your company? Consider adding a Blog. A blog (like this one) is an easy-to-use list of articles grouped by category and keywords. It’s easy to find and construct content and could make a HUGE difference to your exposure. You’re obviously an expert at something, else you wouldn’t be able to run a business based on it!

If you have a community based site, consider opening the forums to all if locked down. Make sure Google can see it so posts are indexed regularly and listed in their search.

The final features are fun to play with and will actually help sites get better rankings even with less Search Engine Optimisation in place.

Have a play around, have fun and keep your website current.

Social and business networking has seriously taken off, but how did we do business before then?

Before the Internet, we had the telephone directories. A content rich book of potential clients and suppliers… the problem was we had no idea who these people were, it was a gamble every time we picked up the phone.

The search engines took over from the telephone directories but weren’t much better. As websites are cheaper to set up, it’s even easier to fall into traps and scams.

Ok go back again, before the telephone. How did people do business? Well we belonged to lots of clubs, societies and went to meetings. We had country clubs, the masons, sports clubs, big dinner parties all in the name of socialising. All the big businesspeople socialised regularly, sharing their interests and lives with each other. As needs arose, contracts went out to friends, family and friends of friends. We were people, not businesses.

This form of networking has made a big comeback online, it’s not new, it was always here and should be treated that way. If we look on it as something new, we end up making simple mistakes by trying new things, or applying the principals of ‘the website’ to these potential relationships.

“Hi, I’m Simon, I’m a web designer, you can find out about me ‘here’, do you want to connect with me?”

The classic mistake, I’ve given simple information that will only encourage people to connect if they are either desperate for a website or are interested in websites… i.e. the competition.

Change that to:

“Hi, I’m Simon, I see you are in a band, I play trumpet myself although need to bring my standard back up before looking into bands, how is the live music scene lately?”

Now I’ve read their profile, I’ve found a similarity i.e. something which we can talk about. The best thing is that the conversation will interest us both and allow a natural connection. The verb ‘To Like’ stems from ‘To BE like’. I am now showing myself as a person, a business can’t play the trumpet. (some people would argue that I can’t either but that’s open to debate)

We follow the conversation(s) through and decide to meet up for a drink (a business can’t go for a drink). I have a new friend, someone who can and will vouch for me and talk about me whenever a related conversation comes up. I will never try to sell to that friend but they will like and trust me. They already know what I do without me ramming it down their throats, I don’t have to insult their intelligence by telling them ‘I’m a web designer’ over and over. The day comes, they need a new website or just some advice, or better yet, one of their 200 clients, 10 suppliers, 400 friends or 30 family members needs a website, I’ve accidentally earned some business from this relationship.

If I never get business, I still have a friend who I can rely on when I bring my trumpet skills back up to scratch and want to find a band in my area. Oh, he’s also an accountant, I can phone him about something now my tax return is due, I need to know how to process a proportion of my rent and bills as a business expense. (while I’m there, I need a new swimming pool, the moat needs cleaning, my other house needs furnishin………

And don’t forget, relationships are bi-directional. Keep checking for replies, keep replying if one is due keep that friendship going. If your spouse kicks you out and you don’t feel you can call them to borrow their sofa, you don’t know each other well enough, keep trying!

Join in on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ecademy etc etc. and make friends and have fun, pursue your passions and they (and the business) will pursue you. Be a person not a business. I can’t befriend a business.

And don’t forget to tell me if you like this blog, comment if you want to add or reply to this or any following comments. If you also play trumpet or are a member of a jazz band, connect with me. If you know any good free resources of some smooth jazz solos, I need something easy to get my skills and confidence back. (AND never start a new sentence with the word ‘And’ it’s grammatically incorrect.)

Do we need a code of conduct for writing blogs?

According to DLA Piper, only 5% of Internet users know the legal rights and wrongs of posting online. It also found that 77% of bloggers were unaware of the law surrounding publication and journalism.

The same study found that 42% of Internet users believe that bloggers should be made to follow the same legal standards as journalists. 46% like the idea of a voluntary code of conduct. Bloggers however, don’t agree, only 32% support the idea with 34% directly opposed.

According to a spokesman from DLA Piper, there is potential for bloggers to end up in court. Beyond defamation and employment law, there are plenty of other issues which bloggers could trip up on. Issues such as, but not limited to: Libel (http://www NULL.mcalesternews NULL.com/local/local_story_229160310 NULL.html), Contempt of court (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Contempt_of_court), the Telecommunications act (http://news NULL.bbc NULL.co NULL.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7373639 NULL.stm), Protection from harassment act (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Harassment_(UK)), even the anti-terrorist legislation (http://news NULL.bbc NULL.co NULL.uk/1/hi/uk/7084801 NULL.stm).

Given that nobody reads website Terms and Conditions (and many still do not have them!) wouldn’t a code of conduct be pointless? Essentially, a code of conduct is not a set of laws, followers of this conduct will however protect themselves against some potential legal surprises if UK companies and individuals do decide to clamp down. A court may even look more favourably on them for following the voluntary code if the matter does reach a court.

Who would sign up for a voluntary code of conduct? Would it be those who are already careful in what they publish? or would it be the trouble makers inspiring this discussion in the first place?

Another fantastic website related blog from one of our favourite Copywriting sites; Copyblogger.com (http://feeds NULL.copyblogger NULL.com/~r/Copyblogger/~3/359509499/). This one talks about the psychology of passive selling, a sales method which all business websites work with no matter how well the website design is done where visitors are anonymous and make the most of that fact. Copyblogger I found fairly recently but after reading from article to article I found much of the content was well worth noting. They state facts and give advice to website owners and marketing alike and make the most of those facts… Anyway waffle over as per article, the blog starts here:

Have you ever stood in a store with something in your hand and then looked up to see if there was a clerk nearby you could ask for help?

Sure you have. We all have. Good help is hard to find.

Companies have been cutting costs by moving towards self-serve more than ever. Depending on where you live, you may have to bag your own groceries, pump your own gas, or bottle your own water.

Put yourself in the mind of the consumer. Consider what happens at that very moment you realize you need help. You were focused on buying two seconds ago, but then something happened—something very important.

Your brain skipped a beat.

“Find someone,” it said.

“Don’t buy. You have questions. Get answers.”

Your focus shifts. You aren’t thinking about buying anymore at all. You were almost ready to shell out your money, but now you’re in search mode. Now you’re seeking answers.

“Hello… Can anyone help me? Anyone at all?”

Now, think about your website. There are no clerks. No sales associate lingers nearby. The store aisles are empty and the cashiers are gone. There is no one who can help – not immediately, anyways.

The copy on your website is the single solution. Useful content mixed with meaningful messages is the only salesperson on staff. If your site content isn’t meeting, greeting, and convincing people, then it isn’t doing its job.

You need more than a website… you need a website that sells.

And to help you sell more, here are seven copywriting tips for a website that operates like a well-staffed store:

1. Get a professional salesperson – Overexcited content full of exclamation marks and sunshine-bright enthusiasm very often has the opposite effect of calm, confident copy. It just doesn’t work well. Tone down the cheerleading and collect your wits.
2. Eliminate the dress code – Calm and collected doesn’t mean bland and boring. It’s fine to show some personality, so get naked with your content. In fact, most consumers enjoy a good peep show (minus the pom-poms, that is).
3. Tell staff to talk less– Readers quickly lose interest in long, verbose paragraphs and end up walking away. No one likes the guy who can’t shut up, after all. Trim your content. Use concise sentences that create impact – not unnecessary fluff.
4. Inform consumers better – Tell consumers about your company. They want to know your story – the way they want to hear it. What makes you special? Why should they choose you? What can you offer more than the competition?
5. Bring in the specialist – The quality of your content reflects on your business image. If it isn’t well written, it isn’t going to help you sell. Do-it-yourself copywriting is fine for people with the skills. But if that isn’t you, then hire a writer to help.
6. Hire a clerk – Make sure people can contact you quickly and easily with a visible contact form. Ditch the coded (emails) supposed (to) cut spam, as well. That just forces consumers to take extra steps to contact you – steps they may not be interested in taking. There are other ways of verifying that a user is human without having to type out badly displayed letters!
7. Don’t goof off on the job – There’s a time and place for playing the class clown. Snagging a customer lead isn’t that time. Give straightforward information, offer a clear message and cut the clowning around.

Ending here, I would also like to mention a related article from the same blog entitled: ‘I don’t care about you’ (http://www NULL.copyblogger NULL.com/who-cares/) which in principal states that your website viewers want to find out how you can solve their problem and don’t want to sit reading about how wonderful you say you are!

Ever wondered how to make money while on holiday? Most service providers ask this question every day. When you are not present, the business effectively pauses, your income stops but your bills continue to fly through the post every month. Is there a way to turn your knowledge into a real salable product? A product which sells itself while you take a break, go away, recover from illness? Before you answer that question, let me tell you about ebookplace:

Zako Media has teamed up with copywriters, search engine optimisers, marketeers and together we have put together the ULTIMATE ebook package. Using our individual expert knowledge and project managed by a single point of contact, we can help you with all aspects of ebooks from the initial concept, right up to taking your automated payments through automatic distribution.

We’ve also setup ebookplace A free community that is totally focussed on eBooks and other digital products. (http://ebookplace NULL.ning NULL.com) This community is ideal for people who have never written an eBook, and equally suited to seasoned eBook experts. You can explore eBook marketing ideas, share your eBook experiences, demonstrate your eBook knowledge, take part in eBook discussions, and if you are new to eBooks, ask all those eBook related questions that you were dying to ask.

But what have you got to write about?

Share your business knowledge, share your personal experiences, perhaps your recovery path through terminal illness, inspirational passages or poetry. Not everyone can afford your consultancy fees and you’re not willing to drop your prices that low, how about offering an alternative? Add worksheets to help them on their way.

If you think there’s a market for it, go onto ebookplace, talk to the growing community and find out. Don’t know how to write, market and sell? That’s where we can step in to give you a helping hand.

The quality ebook market is continuing to grow, don’t let that book stagnate inside you

With the ever growing online communities and reliance on the internet, it might make sense to say ‘Yes! You need a website’. Ask a web designer/developer for a website and that’s exactly what you’ll get. But do you really need it?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say ‘Yes, everyone needs an online presence‘ but this does not have to be in the form of a whole website. So what are the alternatives?

Blogs:- A blog (short for WebLog) is a great content building site. You can get these for free from wordpress, blogger among others. A blog allows you to post articles like the one you’re reading now. They’re great if you’re a consultant with lots of advice like time-management, marketing etc, or in a constantly changing industry like accountancy or technology.

Network Stores:- If you sell products online, have a look at trading on eBay stores or Amazon. Both of these provide seller services for a small transaction fee. One of my clients receives about £2/3000 per month turnover through an eBay store.

Network Profiles:- Many people make do with networking profiles like Ecademy, Facebook, Xing, LinkedIn, Workology, and these work great, particularly for B2B and some B2C businesses. Spend the time making your profile stand out from the croud and socialise with the other members.

Directory listings:- These are a good quick-fix particularly for B2C’s, Plumbers, electricians, Taxi companies. They provide a good geographical listing and helpe people compare you to your competitors.

There are others but I feel these allow you to stay focussed on the business rather than the social aspect. If you feel I’ve missed any, feel free to add them into the comments below.